We need tools to build, repair and maintain the mechanical world in which we live. With these 50 tools, you'll be ready for just about any project.

Sledgehammer

Sledgehammer

Few tools combine brute force and finesse as elegantly as a sledgehammer. Swing it overhead to deliver bomb-blast destructiveness or to fire a wood-splitting wedge through a big log. Handle it like a putter to salvage architectural elements such as a post-and-beam barn frame that needs knocking apart. Most of us are better off with an 8- or 10-pound model that we can swing easily, not a 16- to 20-pounder.

Center Punch

Center Punch

In theory, you use a center punch to start holes in metal. In practice, it's far more useful than that. You can tighten a loose handle on a knife or shovel by centering the punch on the rivet and then firmly striking it with a ball-peen hammer, expanding the rivet's head. In a pinch, you can also use a center punch like a steel pencil to mark a line on wood or metal. Or you can use it to countersink a large nailhead or drive down the stub of a broken nail or staple.